the+sentence

Lessons on How to Write Sentences that Make Sense

1. Lesson: Turning Fragments into Complete Sentences Description: After asking students if they know what sentence fragments are, I will help them arrive at the conclusion that they are sentences missing either a subject or a verb. I will then ask them what a sentence contains as opposed to a sentence fragment. If necessary, I will help them arrive at the conclusion that a sentence contains at least one subject, at least one verb, and forms a complete thought. I will then ask them to get in pairs and give each group a paragraph from a novel containing sentence fragments. I will ask them to underline the fragments and re-write them as complete sentences. At the end of the activity, they will share their sentences with the class. I will write them on the board, and, as a class, we will determine whether they contain at least one subject, at least one verb, and form a complete thought. (Anderson, 64-5)

2. Lesson: Fixing Run-On Sentences Description: I will ask students if they know what run-on sentences are and how they differ from sentences with proper punctuation. I will then ask how they can be fixed using a semi-colon, a comma and a logical linker, or by breaking them up into two sentences. I will the write the sentence on the board: The sun is shining it makes me happy. I will then ask how it can be fixed with semi-colon and write: The sun is shining; it makes me happy. I will ask how it can be fixed with a comma and a logical linker and write: The sun is shining, and it makes me happy. I will then ask how it can be fixed by breaking it up into two sentences and write: The sun is shining. It makes me happy. I will give the students a sheet with run-on sentences and ask them to fix them however they choose as long as they use each rule at least twice. (Anderson, 68-9)

3. Lesson: I've Got a Preposition for You Description: After asking students if they know what prepositions are and defining them with the class, I will present students with a piece of writing in which the prepositions have been removed. I will hand out a list of prepositions and we will discuss how they add to the clarity and meaning of the piece. I will ask students to describe a room, a painting, or a process without using them, and if they won't, I will model the exercise and ask them to "catch" me whenever I use one. The students will then write their own descriptions in which they use an abundance of prepositional phrases. I will have the struggling students circle each prepositional phrase in a piece of writing I will give them. Once they know they can identify them, they will try writing them in sentences of their own. (Anderson, 74-6)

4. Lesson: Register Swap--The Formal and Informal Registers Description: The lesson will teach students to avoid using double negatives. We will discuss the idea that formal registers are used in professional settings and informal registers are used with friends. We will also discuss how we might be viewed if we use double negatives and informal registers during college or job interviews. I will give students a passage from a text and ask them to circle all the double negatives and turn them into sentences with formal registers. Using a wall chart with columns titled formal and informal, I will write the sentences with double negatives in the informal column and the sentences in which the students correct them in the formal column. We will then discuss what double negatives add to the dialogue in the passage but conclude that it is best to avoid them. (Anderson, 77-8)

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References: Anderson, J. (2005). //Mechanically Inclined.// Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers